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Burr Fork, Emigration
Canyon
The Burr
Fork claim begins at the top of Emigration Canyon where the road forks
with
Killyon Canyon. The paved road passes through a residential area
as it
makes its way up the canyon into the Pinecrest area. As this
winding road
approaches the top of the canyon, it gradually narrows. At points
along
the road, it is necessary for drivers to stop to allow oncoming traffic
to
pass. Within the Groves Subdivision, the road passes through a
large blue
gate, which is frequently closed and locked. The road continues
beyond
the gate until it reaches the end of the subdivision.
"The
right-of-way for the construction of highways over the public
lands not reserved for public uses, is hereby granted."
Construction:
"Means an intentional physical act or series of intentional physical
acts
that were intended to, and that accomplished, preparation of a highway
by a
durable, observable, physical modification of land for use by highway
traffic."
Transportation in this
canyon was originally served by a
rail line that made its way up Burr Fork from Emigration Canyon.
Due to
the steepness of the canyon, several switchbacks had to be cut into the
hillside to create a more moderately graded route to the top.
After the
rail line was abandoned, the tracks were pulled up, and the route was
opened to
vehicles.
Highway:
"Means a thoroughfare that was prior to the latest available date used
by
the public, without discrimination against any individual or group, for
the
passage of vehicles carrying people or goods from place to place."
The road through Burr
Fork provides access to the Groves
Subdivision and a hiking trail in the upper reaches of the
canyon. The
majority of this claim is open to the public. However, there is a
gate at
the top that is occasionally locked, preventing the public from
entering this
portion of the subdivision.
Unreserved
public lands: "lands owned by the United States...that had not
yet
been set aside, dedicated, withdrawn, reserved, settled, preempted,
entered,
appropriated, or disposed of, or on which claims had not been located."
Nearly all of the land
surrounding this claim is privately
held. Although, there is a small segment of the road that crosses
Forest
Service lands. This area may have seen some use for logging and
grazing prior
to the reservation of Forest Service lands in 1904. The earliest
recorded
evidence of construction occurring in Burr Fork for transportation
reasons
was for a rail line in 1907.
The first
residential development in Burr Fork began at the top of the canyon in
an area
called Pinecrest. The area was owned by the National Real Estate
and
Investment Company, which initially offered 918 lots for sale in the
Groves
subdivision. With the hopes of attracting buyers into the canyon,
the
company also constructed a large resort hotel, the Pinecrest Inn.
Within
two years of the creation of the subdivision the Pinecrest Inn opened,
two
hundred and fifty lots had been sold, and thirty cabins had been
constructed.
The road up Emigration Canyon was dedicated in 1910 along with
the Groves
Subdivision. The road is known by many different names on the
subdivision
maps, including “The Main Canyon Highway” and “Canyon Road.”
Around the
turn of the century, in the early 1900’s, the road up Emigration Canyon
was
only one lane wide by the time it reached the area known as Last
Camp.
From here the Emigration Canyon road extended into Killyon Canyon, and
up Burr
Fork into Pinecrest. As the road up Burr Fork left Emigration
Canyon, the
grade became much steeper. Since the road into the canyon was on
an
abandoned railroad grade, it had to make several switchbacks to get up
the
steep hillside. When trains first traveled the route they had to
reverse
directions up the switchbacks to make it up the hill to
Pinecrest. It has
also been said that the Model T’s that first drove up Burr Fork, had to
back up
the hill, because reverse was the only gear low enough to get them to
the
top. Although the original switchback road could be somewhat
precarious,
it did enable people to drive up to the Pinecrest Inn or to their cabin
in the
Groves.
Carlstrom, Jeffrey,
Cynthia Furse. The History of Emigration
Canyon: Gateway to Salt Lake Valley. Logan, Utah. Utah State
University
Press. 2003.
Johnson, Thomas. Private
land owner in upper Emigration
Canyon. Conversation on October 4, 2005.
Salt Lake County
Recorder’s Office. Research of subdivision
plat maps in area of Burr’s Fork. Book
F, p. 15, 75. Salt Lake City, UT. August
16, 2005.
Salt Lake County
Surveyor’s Office. “The Bible” - Book of
maps (sheets 25A & 4B), accompanied by a book of field notes. Specific date of maps unknown – most likely
from the 1890’s.
U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Aerial photos of Burr’s Fork
taken in
1946. Found at the Salt Lake County
Archives,
August 16, 2005.
Utah State Road
Commission.
Utah State Road System Log. July
1, 1948. Found at the Utah State
Archives Research Center. Series 20865,
Versatile Box 124512. August 17, 2005.
Killyon’s
Subdivision (pdf 94
kB): Plat map showing Block II of the Killyon Subdivision.
This
section of the subdivision extends along the first portion of Burr's
Fork. The subdivision was dedicated on August 30, 1909.
Groves
Subdivision (pdf 421
kB): Plat map showing the Groves Subdivision in Pinecrest.
This
subdivision was dedicated on December 28, 1910.
Aerial
Photo of Burr's Fork (pdf 3.9
MB): Taken by the Department of Agriculture in 1946.
Utah
State Road System Log (pdf 258
kB): Road listed as State Route Number 172, December 31, 1951.